Government

HEATH SPRINGS – A project to permanently honor past military servicemen and woman is coming along well, organizers say.
David Williams of the Heath Springs Veterans Association gave Heath Springs Town Council an update Tuesday on plans for a veterans monument at the corner where the old water tower stood, facing North Main Street.
The veterans association formed a special committee about 18 months ago to began planning for the granite monument, which will feature names of late Lancaster County residents who served in any branch of the military.

Travis Jenkins
Landmark News Service
FORT LAWN – When the decision was made last week to close the Fort Lawn Senior Center, the town’s mayor and Chester County leaders immediately sprang into action to seek alternatives to keep the center in operation.
On Tuesday, York County Council on Aging Director Wendy Duda informed Chester County Council members that due to budget shortfalls and attendance numbers, the Fort Lawn Senior Center will close.

KERSHAW – The town of Kershaw is in the market for a new heath care provider.
Town Administrator Tony Starnes told council members Thursday that the town’s current provider, S.C. Local Government Assurance Group (LGAG), is dissolving in June.
LGAG is run by the Municipal Association of South Carolina.
Kershaw has participated in LGAG for several years. But that group’s dwindling membership has lead to its end, Starnes said.

County Council will consider second reading on two Indian Land-related ordinances when its meets Tuesday night.
After an overwhelming majority of residents voted last week to approve a proposed fire protection district in Indian Land, council will move forward with the process and hear second reading of the ordinance on Tuesday.

It began with a wall covered in sticky notes and scraps of paper, but ended with a rough draft for the county’s first-ever strategic plan.
Armed with lists of ideas on how to improve the quality of life for county residents, several members of County Council, as well as other county staff members, met in Columbia from Jan. 14 through Jan. 16 to hammer out ideas at a strategic planning session. Held at the University of South Carolina’s Institute for Governmental Services, the session allowed council to identify and prioritize the needs of the county.

John Howard jokes that he’ll probably never have to exercise the duties of his newly elected position.
Howard, who has served on Lancaster City Council since 1982, was elected mayor pro tempore at Tuesday’s meeting. He will assume mayoral duties in Mayor Joe Shaw’s absence.
But that’s the catch – Shaw is hardly absent.
Shaw said he’s missed just two council meetings in the nearly 30 years he’s been mayor, and Howard is quite aware of that.

Lancaster County school board members heard an update Tuesday night about the implementation of the district’s new drugs and weapons search initiative at county schools.
Bryan Vaughn, director of safety and transportation, said in December school officials conducted 13 drug searches under the new policy. One search was conducted at each of the county’s five middle schools and each of the four high schools were searched twice.

INDIAN LAND – Voters in Indian Land overwhelmingly approved a proposed fire protection tax district in a non-binding advisory referendum Tuesday. The vote was 1,187 in favor and 86 opposed.
The proposed district would raise money for the Indian Land Volunteer Fire Department through a $75 annual fee assessed on homes. Businesses and other users would be assessed at $75 per 2,500 square feet.
The vote is intended to help Lancaster County Council members gauge the community’s support for the proposed district.

For the first time in a long while, Lancaster City Council did not have lengthy debate about the awarding of grants from the city’s hospitality tax fund.
Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve funding for the second quarter of 2010-11 to the Lancaster Children’s Council and the Lancaster Bruins Booster Club.
The Children’s Council applied for and was awarded $20,000 for its Prevention of Youth Substance Abuse project.
The booster club applied for and was awarded $5,000 to make repairs to the Roddey Drive baseball facilities.

Despite one structural concern, the city of Lancaster received a favorable audit of its 2009-10 budget.
Blair, Bohle & Whitsitt of Charlotte conducted the audit, which was presented to Lancaster City Council on Tuesday night.
Accountant Steve Johnston said his firm issued a “clean opinion” of the city’s governmental and business activities, which means things are in good standing. The audit also reviewed each major city fund, its balance and its accounting practices.